


Enmusubi

by kawaiisumi



Series: Free! RarePairs Saga [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: Fireworks, Gen, New Years, Shrine Visit, change, omamori
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 05:39:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawaiisumi/pseuds/kawaiisumi
Summary: “I don’t think anyone ever really just changes all at once you know? We don’t suddenly become new people. We grow and we change slowly every day. It’s when we look back that we realize we’ve grown into who we are.”Aka, Makoto makes a much-appreciated acquaintance.A fic for the Dive to the New Year gift exchange.





	Enmusubi

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'd like to dedicate this fic to @/barbaaritha96 on twitter, my giftee for the Dive to the Future gift exchange! I had a lot of fun writing this fic. It was definitely very difficult, considering Ayumu and Makoto have very little canon interaction, but I'm always up to a rarepair challenge!
> 
> Barbara, I hope you find this fic heartwarming and lovely, just as you are!

**Enmusubi**  
_Aka, Makoto makes a much-appreciated acquaintance._

When Haru suggested to Makoto they go out to the shrine for New Year’s Eve, he was surprised. Haru wasn’t one to willingly initiate a social event, nor was he the kind of person to go out of his way to partake in socially acceptable practices. Yet, in a way, Makoto understood. After all, the year had been good to them.

They had moved to Tokyo, far removed from the life they had built for themselves at home. In Tokyo, it felt like a jungle. A rumble and tumble of people that just kept moving along, every day. There was no listening to the ocean waves if you opened your window just a crack at night. There were no early morning travels down the boardwalk. There were bustling crowds and trains humming by. Yet, it was something they had chosen for themselves and grown rather accustomed to.

Though it was nice to be home. He liked waking up to the sun in his face, filtering softly through the curtains. He could hear the twin’s small, quick feet darting up the stairs. Surely, they would hurricane through his room to wake him up for the morning and that breakfast was ready downstairs. It was December 31st, clearly marked on the calendar pinned on top of his desk. He was supposed to meet Haru that evening for the shrine. Hopefully they’d get to watch the fireworks too.

Haru was never one for fireworks, often like a cat in that way. He disliked the loud noise and the flashy lights, but for Makoto, it would always be one of those things that gave him such a wonderful sense of how beautiful and bright the world could be. He’d have to try to convince Haru to stay, at least for a little bit.

Haru came by his house around 5pm. By then, the sun had already set into the winter night, coating the sky in an inky blue, dotted with the subtle twinkle of the stars. Makoto missed the stars. In Tokyo, the city lights washed out the night sky, a hazy white glow casted over his head that reminded him just how many people lived there. But here in Iwatobi, it felt like time could slow down, could potentially even stop. It felt like the years and years Makoto had spent there stretched on forever and ever, full of memories he would hold closely to his heart.

“What are you thinking about?” Haru asked, as the two made their way to the temple. It was cold, and Haru gently tucked his chin beneath the fabric of his coat.

“Nothing much,” Makoto replied. “Can you believe a whole year has passed already? I feel like just yesterday we were going to the shrine for New Year’s with Rei and Nagisa.”

Haru shrugged, “I guess. Lots has changed this year.”

Makoto nodded in agreement, and the two continued to walk down the path. They passed a couple families, young girls in their freshly pressed kimonos and parents ushering their children up the steps. “Do you think it was a good year?” Makoto asked Haru as they ascended up the hill.

Haru shrugged again, “Different,” he replied rather cryptically. He stole a glance at Makoto before clarifying. “A good kind of different.”

When Makoto looked at Haru, he could tell that underneath it all it was the same Haru. But so much had changed. Looking at Haru now he saw someone who had seen more of the world, experienced more things, and had grown from all of it. He wondered if he could say the same of himself.

At the temple, the two were surprised by how full it was. In past years, they had always gone a bit later, and families with small children had mostly cleared out. Perhaps it was because of that, or perhaps it was because the town had really grown since they left, but there were more people than either had anticipated.

Makoto looked to his left, noting that Haru had disappeared from his side. “Eh… Haru? Haru where are you?” Makoto called, trying to scan the crowd. Usually he was able to pick out Haru if he looked over people’s heads, but his friend was nowhere to be found. Makoto took a step backward, trying to orient himself. In doing so, his back collided with someone else and he quickly whipped around to apologize.

“Ah… It’s Tachibana-senpai.”

When Makoto turned around, he found himself looking down to the small young woman in front of him. She was petite, a round face, and gentle gold eyes. “Ah… Kunikida-san… Was it?”

Her eyes lit up, “Yes! What a surprise to see you here.”

Makoto didn’t know very much about Kunikida Ayumu, but he did know that she was one of the newest members of the Iwatobi swim club. She could be quite soft spoken, he barely heard her say anything when the team had visited Tokyo for the high school nationals. A moment of silence passed between the two of them, before they both tried to speak at the same time.

“So-”

“I was-”

Ayumu blinked, gesturing for him to continue with a wave of her hand. “Ah, you go first senpai.”

Makoto smiled, “You look lovely,” he said honestly. “Are you here to visit the temple?”

Indeed, Ayumu wore a navy blue kimono decorated with subtle crane patterns floating across the right shoulder. It had somewhat of a whimsical quality, somewhat aloof and mysterious, quite like she was. “Yes, I need to return my omamori and get a new one. How about you senpai?”

“I was just here to pay my respects. I come here every year.”

Ayumu looked around, “Do you come alone every year as well?”

Makoto shook his head, a warm smile taking over his face. “No, I came with Haru, but we seem to have been separated.”

“Ah, so Nanase-senpai is here too!” Ayumu said cheerfully, a smile finally breaking through on her soft face. “I invited Romio-kun and Shizuru-kun to come with me, but they have their own family gatherings to attend to.”

“So, you come here by yourself?” Makoto asked, walking alongside her as they begun being pushed by the crowd toward the entrance to the temple.

“It’s pretty normal for me. My parents are older and don’t like going out in the cold. I get them omamori when I get mine and bring them home.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Makoto mused, “I haven’t personally gotten an omamori in a while. Maybe I’ll go with you, if that’s alright.”

Ayumu smiled gently, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “That would be nice. I don’t think we’ve ever spoken just the two of us, have we senpai?”

Makoto shook his head, “I guess not. With nationals and everything, you were all very busy.”

“That was a busy time, wasn’t it?” Ayumu said, a hint of fondness in her voice. “I’ve had a lot of fun being in the swim club. I wasn’t sure about it when I began, but it feels like a second home to me.”

Makoto could relate to that feeling. When the swim club had first started out, he wasn’t sure what he should make of it. After all, it was something that Nagisa had pushed them to do on a whim. Yet, the longer the club went on, the stronger it became. It had started with just the three of them, him, Nagisa, and Haru. Then Kou, and finally Rei. While they were unable to recruit new members during his third year of high school, he really didn’t mind so much. They’d grown together, competed together, _experienced_ things together. Now that he was away from that, had he changed? Was he still the same person he was back then?

Makoto remembered having a similar crisis back in his middle school days; fearing that he was supposed to change and become completely new. Perhaps he had changed in his own ways. Maybe he wasn’t a professional athlete like Haru or Rin, but he still had his own ways to grow and thrive, right?

“Senpai?” Ayumu caught his attention, gently holding on to his arm.

Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, a healthy flush overtaking his face. “Iwatobi swim club felt like my second home too.” He smiled, “I’m glad you think so too.”

They made it to the omamori booth, and Ayumu extracted her old one from her pocket, handing it back to be properly disposed of. “What kind are you getting senpai?” She asked, running her fingers along the different charms. “I try to get a different one every year. Like I’m trying to change a new part of myself each new year.”

Makoto’s eyes perked up, drawn to her soft face, which studied the charms carefully. “What do you mean by that?”

Ayumu looked at him and smiled, “I don’t think anyone ever really just changes all at once you know? We don’t suddenly become new people. We grow and we change slowly every day. It’s when we look back that we realize we’ve grown into who we are.” She blushed, “Ah, I’m just rambling. My mom says I read too much classic literature and get funny ideas in my head.”

“You’re very wise for your age,” Makoto laughed, picking up a simple green charm. It read ‘gakugyou-jouju’, the omamori for education and learning. “Maybe one of these would suit you then.”

Ayumu laughed, “That’s the one I got last year, since I was going to be starting high school. I passed all my classes!”

Makoto chuckled alongside her, watching as she continued to examine the charms in front of them. As he grew up, the things around him changed. Like she said, everyone changed slowly. The people he had grown up with were different than they once were. They were becoming grown up, getting ready to spread their wings and fly into the unchartered territory of their future. But here was a girl living in a present moment. She had so much more to give, so much more to learn, before she would be there. There was something about that gentle innocence that made Makoto incredibly fond of her, he was after all, a senpai to her. “I think this year I’m going to get this one,” Ayumu said finally, after a moment of silence. She picked up a delicate pink charm reading ‘enmusubi’, the omamori for love.

“Are you looking for love Kunikida-san?” Makoto asked, while she paid for the charm.

She smiled, holding the amulet close to her chest. “Not in the traditional sense, but I guess so.”

“What do you mean?”

“This year I want to learn to love the things that make me want to cry; that make me feel like giving up. I want to learn to be strong and face things with love and compassion. I don’t need love from someone to be happy, but I want to go around this year knowing that everyone I meet can have their heart touched.” Her tilted her head, eyes warm like pools of melted butter. “Kind of like how you did today.”

Makoto’s lips parted slightly in surprise. “M-me? What did I do?”

“I’ve always admired you Tachibana-senpai,” Ayumu said, reaching for his hand and holding it close to her. “Ever since I met you in Tokyo. I wanted to become just as kind hearted and sincere as you.”

Her words reminded Makoto of what Haru had told him long ago.

_“Makoto is Makoto.”_

Sometimes he doubted himself. Sometimes he wasn’t sure if he was on the right path. But there were people that looked at him and saw him for who he was, and were fine with him staying that way. To think, just by being who he was he could touch the heart of someone he barely knew. Makoto placed a hand on her head, beaming at her. “You’ve touched my heart today too Kunikida-san,” he said honestly, “I needed someone like you today.”

There was a gentle silence, and before Makoto could react, she had wrapped her slender arms around him in an embrace. He found himself giving her a gentle squeeze back before the echoing clap of fireworks began to burst in the sky. 

“Ah! The fireworks have started!” Ayumu said, quickly looking up. Makoto watched the dazzling lights dance in her eyes. The expression of wonder on her face reminded him so much of himself.

“Would you like to watch them together?” Makoto asked. “I know a great spot down the hill that my family and I used to watch them.”

“That would be lovely,” Ayumu said, reaching out for his hand. “Happy new year Tachibana-senpai.”

“Happy new year Kunikida-san.”


End file.
